Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Nell Gwynn

Christopher Luscombe read English at Cambridge. He started his career as an actor, spending seven years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and while he was there he directed The Shakespeare Revue, which transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre in London. His subsequent productions at Stratford include Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing, both of which transferred to the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. His current production of Twelfth Night will be relayed live to cinemas in February. He is an associate artist of the RSC.

His directing credits in London include: Star Quality and The Madness of George III (Apollo); Home and Beauty (Lyric); Fascinating Aïda - One Last Flutter (Harold Pinter - Olivier Award nomination for Best Entertainment); The Comedy of Errors and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare’s Globe); Nell Gwynn (Shakespeare’s Globe and Apollo - Olivier Award for Best New Comedy); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regent’s Park); Enjoy (Gielgud); Alphabetical Order (Hampstead); When We Are Married (Garrick - Olivier Award nomination for Best Revival); Travels with My Aunt (Menier Chocolate Factory); and Spamalot (Playhouse).

Other directing credits include: Masterpieces (Birmingham Rep); Little Shop of Horrors and The History Boys (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Things We Do for Love (Harrogate); Candida (Oxford Stage Company); The Likes of Us (Sydmonton); Arms and the Man (Salisbury); A Small Family Business (Watford); Hobson’s Choice (Sheffield); Hay Fever (Minneapolis); Henry V (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); While the Sun Shines (Bath) and tours of The Importance of Being Earnest, Tell Me on a Sunday, The Lady in the Van, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, Single Spies, Dandy Dick and Blue/Orange.

His production of The Rocky Horror Show has toured in the UK and abroad for the last twelve years. It has completed three seasons in the West End and will tour Australia in 2018. In July he will be directing Bernstein’s Candide at the Grange Festival, and returns in the summer of 2019 for Verdi’s Falstaff.